Hood River County Chair Jennifer Euwer and Grant County Commissioner Jim Hamsher are among new members appointed to the Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) Local Officials Advisory Committee (LOAC) last month. The LOAC was created by statute (ORS 197.165) with a mandate to promote mutual understanding and cooperation between local governments and the Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC) in implementing state land use law, including Oregon’s statewide land use planning goals, and ORS chapters 195, 196, and 197. Staff transitions and the pandemic led to a several-year hiatus, but the committee was reconstituted in 2022 after a joint effort by AOC, League of Cities, and DLCD.
The DLCD provides staffing support to LOAC. Per the committee’s bylaws, the membership must be made up of city or county elected officials, who are appointed by LCDC and serve four-year terms. Other county officials serving on the LOAC include Marion County Commissioner Colm Willis and Benton County Commissioner Nancy Wyse, who serves as the committee chair after being elected by the committee’s membership last year.
LOCA Chair Commissioner Wyse hopes the LOAC can promote increased collaboration. “Counties play an important role in determining how state land use law should apply to the unique circumstances in their communities, so it’s critical that counties have opportunities to weigh in as LCDC and DLCD deliberate about policy. I’m grateful for the renewed commitment to collaborating with local governments through LOAC. Our focus will be on working together to ensure development rules work well in practice and to promote the kind of development Oregon communities want and need, said Wyse.”
In welcoming the new members, DLCD Director, Dr. Brenda Ortigoza Bateman personally congratulated them and expressed her appreciation for their service. “This is a tremendous group of people. We now have elected officials serving on LOAC from every region of the state. LOAC Members review our policy agenda and provide implementation advice; they play a critical role in our ongoing relationship and partnership with local governments, said Ortigoza.”
The next LOAC meeting is scheduled for September 11, 2023; the meeting agenda and supplemental materials will be made available on the committee’s website as the meeting approaches.
Contributed by: Michael Burdick, AOC legislative affairs manager